Device for opening straw and other vegetable matter for spinning purposes.



F. REICHMANN. DEVICE FOR 0PENING smw AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTth FOB SPINNING PURPOSES. APPLICATlON FILED JAN.25, 1915. 1 162 191 Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

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F. REICHMANN. DEViCE FOR OPENING STRAW AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTER FOR SPINNING PURPOSES. APPLICATION FILED JAN- 25. m5. g l 191 a Patented New". 30, 1915.

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FRIEDRICH REICHMANN OF BAR-MEN, GEBMANY.

DEVICE FOR OPENING STRAW AND OTHER VEGETKBLE MATTER-FOR SPINNING.

' PURPOSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 25, 1915. Serial No. 4,348.

MANN, a subject of the King of Sweden, re

siding at Barmen, Germany, have invented an Improved Device for Opening Straw and other Vegetable Matter for Spinning Purposes, of which the following is a specification. 1

My invention has for its object a device for opening straw and other vegetable material, as forinstance grass club rush, bast and v the like for the purpose of obtaining fibrous material for spinning particularly by means of a process which consists in the raw material being first boiled in a i to 52 B- solution of soda until the gliadin is dissolved and the straw can be decomposed into its fibers, the straw after the removal of this solutionbeing treated with cold caustic soda or caustic potash lye of 15-20 B. orv of even higher concentration, so that-the individual fibers become curled, and separated from one another,-the fibers-after this treatment and after being rinsed with warm water being further treated with a solution of hydrofluoric acid in order to lixiviate the silicic acid contained inthem and finally being. treated with water to which small quantities of ammonia or magnesium chlorid have been I at the back extremity of the boiler. over the' added and being again rinsed and neutralized. According to my invention the new de- .vice or apparatus consists of a group of boilers or troughs corresponding with the number of the single operations and which are arranged successively in a line. On" the bottom of each trough an inclined transporting band is located carrying thematerial automatically lengthwise through the liquid within the trough, said material being then raised from the said boiler and fed into thenexttrough and moved "therein in the Same manner. Above the material are mounted on the top of the boilers and spaced apart a number of feeding Wheels, by which the material iskept below the liquid surface and inclined portion of the transporting band is placed a second band or. strap between which the material is elevated and pressed out before it is delivered into the next trough. The length of each trough exactly conforms Patented Nov; 30, 1915.

trough before its delivery into the lye trough is cooled, orby which the lye may be constantly kept cool.' From tests it has been stated that the treating of the material is the more perfect, the lower the temperature of the lye having the same concentration is kept so that the same result is obtained with a weaker lye of low temperature aswith a strong lye of high temperature.

My invention is fully illustrated on the accompanying drawings, on whichv Figure 1 is a side view of the complete apparatus; Fig. 2 shows the first boiler in an enlarged scale;.Fig. 3 is a topview of Fig. 2; Fig. at represents the back portion of a boiler in side View in an enlarged scale; Fig. 5 is a top view thereof; Fig. 6 shows the front part of the boiler in a side view.

a, b, c, d, e and f are-boilers or troughs in which the'raw material is treated and which in the present example are arranged successively in a line. In the first trough a the material is boiled in aweak solution of alkali, the second trough b serves for cooling the hot materialv coming from the trough a, and contains for this purpose a cooling I the troughd a rinsing of the material takes place whereupon in the following trough e the material is'treated with a solution of hydrofluoric acid forthe purpose of removing the silicic acid contained in the material which finally in the last .trough f is again'rinsed and neutralized.

Preferably for cooling the rinsing liquid of trough d the dilute cold lye is used,.it

being passed through the trough 6 before it is guided for further use into the boiler a.

Within the'several troughs is, as seen in Figs. 2 to 6, arrangeda transporting belt g manner that they I tact with the liquid and at the same time corresponding with the breadth of the same and being wholly covered by the liquid. On the front end of the first trough ais mounted a horizontal transporting belt l1, Figs. 2, 6 and adjacent thereto a second but inclined transporting belt i by which the material for instance straw in a thick layer is fed 1nto the boiling trough a upon theband g by which it is slowly caused to travel through the liquid and boiled. The said band 9 is supported at certain distances by rollers m and is driven by means of the toothed gear n from the pulleys o. In the top (of the troughs are located at certain distances a number of revolving paddle wheels-p the combshaped paddles of which dip into the liquid, said wheelsbeing rotated by miter Wheels Z from a common shaft 9 in such a hold the material in conmove it forward. Between the upper and lower half of the band 9 traversing channels 1' are constructed in the trough afthrough which heating gases may be led in order to heat and boil the material.

channels stirring devices 8 are provided,

keeping the liquid in constant movement to' obtain a good exchangeof heat. The rotation of the said stirring means is done by means of suitable gear from the pulleys o. At the other extremity ofthe trough the band 9 is continued by an inclined belt 27 by whichthe boiled material lc is elevated from its trough and fed into the adjacent trough in the direction'of travel of-the material. Above said belt t ismounted another transporting belt '0 provided with transverse rails u the rollers 'w of which are carried by angle levers w on which act the adjustable Weights y that press the upper'band a down upon the lower t in order to ob-.

tain a secure feedin'g'of the material upon the inclined belt to free it from liquid by the pressure. The following troughs b, c, d, e and f are in the same manner fitted with the described parts, they may however be shorter according to the operating time required in each trough. r V

,The conveyance of thehot material from the boiler a into the cooling vessel 6 is preferably done Within ,a steam atmosphere in order to prevent thejnfiuence of the oxygen of the air and a weakening of the fiber which is impregnated with the hot solution of soda. For this purpose the raised end of the discharging be t of the boiler a is covered with a domeor-hood Z, and a pipe controlled by a hand valve and communicating with a source of steam-supply (not shown) and the interior of the dome Z allows the admission of steam into the interior of said dome Z, see Fig. 4, the steam escaping under the edge of said dome. v The single treating liquids may partly be Near the said a second band 'tion take place,

, and means for conveying It may be noted that the trough b may be omitted and instead thereof trough 0 may be fitted with'a cooling appliance for the concentrated lye contained therein and said appliance may be arranged within the said trough or outside the same so that the lye can circulate through it.

What I claim and ters Patent is:

1. A device for producing spinning fibers from straw and other vegetable matter whereby the same is boiled and treated successively with a number of liquids or lyes, comprising aseries of troughs placed adjacently in line, a transporting band arranged within said troughs, said band being inclined'toward the back extremity of the trough in order to carry the material lengthwise through the conduits, elevate it from the same and feed it into the adjacent trough as described and for the purpose set desire to secure by Letforth.

material separate the same as described and for the purpose set forth. I 3. A device comprising a series of troughs,

a transporting band within each trough and mounted over the inclined exit portion of said band for the described and set forth.

4. Apparatus .for separating and treata 'ing vegetable fibers consisting of a series of troughs in which the material is subjected to different kinds of treatment, in part by hot liquid, means for using said liquid again by cooling it, means for returning it to the first of said troughs, in which boiling and separaand means for conveying said material to the several troughs in successlon. a, .1

5. Apparatus for separating and treating vegetable fibers comprising a trough or receptacle in which thematerial is boiled and purpose separated, a lye-containing trough ,for sub-' sequently acting on. said material and an interposed trough containing cooling liquid for reducing the temperature of the material beforeit is subjected to the'action of the lye the said material to the several troughs o the series in succession.

6.- Apparatus for separating and treating vegetable fibers comprising a series of troughs arranged in succession and adapted dome covering such mechanism, and a pipe to contain divers liquids for acting variously supplying steam to the interior of said dome.

on the material presented thereto, elevating FRIEDRICH REIGHMANN. [1. s.]

and discharging mechanism for transferring Witnesses: 5 such materialfrom the first trough of the HELEN NUFER,

series to the second trough of the series, a ALBERT NUFER. 

